S 675 
. U62 
1943f 
Copy 1 


THE U. S. GOVERNMENT CAMPAIGN 

t 

D PROMOTE THE PRODUCTION, SHARING, AND 
PROPER USE OF FOOD 


TO HELP FARMERS UTILIZE FULLY THEIR FARM 
MACHINERY , EQUIPMENT , AND STRUCTURES 


As One Means of Accomplishing 1944 Farm Goals 


'HE qv 

C0KGRE38 
5ERIAI RFmim 




rl 


Prepared by the 
Office of War Information 



and the 


War Food Administration 
with the cooperation of 
The War Production Board, The Petroleum 
Administration for War, The U. S. Office of Education, 
and the Office of Defense Transportation 


September 1943 













PROGRAM TO HELP FARMERS UTILIZE FULLY THEIR FARM 
MACHINERY, EQUIPMENT, AND STRUCTURES AS ONE MEANS 
OF ACCOMPLISHING 1944 FARM GOALS. 

CONTENTS 


Page 


The Problem_ 2 

Government’s Function_ 3 

Farmers’ Function_ 6 

Industry’s Function_ 6 

Local Dealers’ Function_ 7 

Copy Themes_ 7 

Copy Slants_ 8 

Time Table_ 10 

Details of the Government Program_ 11 

What the Farmer is Doing to Help Himself_ 15 


The Problem. 

The supply of new farm machinery, equipment, and tools, lumber 
and other materials for farm construction, the number of transpor¬ 
tation vehicles and the quantity of fuel for operating them, are lim¬ 
ited by war—yet full and efficient utilization of all existing as well 
as new machinery and equipment is essential to guarantee the food 
production needed in our war effort. 

The year 1944 will set an all-time peak for food production in the 
United States. It will witness the most gigantic planting program 
in the Nation’s history: 380,000,000 acres—16,000,000 more acres than 
were planted in 1943. 

However, production of farm machinery and equipment has been 
restricted since 1941. During the current production year—beginning 
July 1, 1943—machinery can be produced at a level averaging 80 
percent of the high 1940 output. There are no quota restrictions on 

replacement parts. Farmers are willing to buy—and they need_ 

greater amounts of machinery and equipment, but steel and other 
materials are needed in record quantities for making the weapons 
of war. This accentuates the need to get maximum results from 
both new equipment and that already on farms. 

On the Nation’s farms there are 1,100,000 trucks, 4,250,000 auto¬ 
mobiles, 1,500,000 trailers, and 3,000,000 to 3,500,000 wagons which 
make up the farm transportation fleet for getting products to market 
after they are produced, and for moving supplies to the farm. Very 
few new vehicles can now be added to this fleet. Gasoline and tires 
must be made to last as long as possible. Farmers are faced with the 

(2) 













double problem of moving record quantities of food to market while 
at the same time conserving on the use of rubber and fuel. 

Lumber, structural steel, and hardware for essential new farm 
construction is also limited. The 1943 national need for lumber, for 
example, is 36 billion board feet—for military and essential civilian 
requirements. Of this, agriculture—a large user of lumber—needs 
a minimum of 3.5 million board feet for minimum new construction, 
maintenance, and repair of farm buildings and structures. 

The task of meeting the highest food production goals on record 
and moving the produce to market demands maximum use of every 
productive farm acre. It requires vast increases of production with 
less skilled labor. It calls for efficient utilization of farm machinery. 
It calls for labor-saving equipment to compensate for labor which has 
been taken from the farmers. It calls for new machinery and equip¬ 
ment to replace that which has worn out. It calls for the all-out con¬ 
tinued use of every item of machinery now owned by the Nation’s 
farmers. It calls for constant repair and maintenance of farm build¬ 
ings and storage facilities. It calls for conservation of vehicles and 
critical supplies of gasoline and rubber to keep the farm transpor¬ 
tation fleet in operation. 

We must maintain and use farm machinery and equipment, 
transportation vehicles, and farm structures, to obtain maximum 
food production with minimum expenditure of labor, steel, petro¬ 
leum, farm building materials, rubber, and other critical 
materials. 

Government’s Function. 

The War Food Administration represents the farmer as a claimant 
for his fair share of the Nation’s production materials—steel, copper, 
farm building materials, fuel, lubricants, and other supplies—needed 
for manufacturing and supplying machinery and equipment essential 
to the farmer for maximum food production. The materials allocated 
to agriculture are consistent with the over-all war production program, 
but the war will continue to restrict the production of farm equipment 
and supplies. Consequently, the task of getting maximum use of 
existing facilities in food production—through care, share, and repair 
activities—is absolutely essential. Meeting this over-all problem re¬ 
quires the full cooperation of Government, industry, and farmers. 
Each has a role to play in helping to meet the 1944 production goals. 

The Government will: 

1. Continue its programs to provide farmers with necessary sup- • 

plies and equipment. 

2. Set general objectives for Government, cooperating industries, 

and farmers to follow in getting maximum use of produc¬ 
tion and transportation supplies and equipment. 

553967°—43 


4 


3. Provide a symbol, slogan, and necessary materials for use in 

educational campaigns and activities. 

4. Carry out educational programs through its field agencies to 

inform farmers of the necessity for maximum use of sup¬ 
plies and equipment to obtain food production. 

5. Sponsor and support schools on the care, share, and repair of 

production and transportation equipment. 

Specifically, these activities will be accomplished through: 

1. County Farm Rationing Committees of the County Agri¬ 
cultural War Boards who will assist in: 

a. Pooling and sharing of farm machinery and equipment, and custom opera¬ 

tion of such equipment. 

b. Construction of needed buildings, and repair and maintenance of existing 

buildings and structures. 

c. Procurement of replacement parts for farm machinery and supplies to 

carry out repair and maintenance practices. 

2. County Farm Transportation Committees of the County 
Agricultural War Boards who will assist with: 

a. Pooling and sharing of farm cars, trucks, and trailers. 

b. Procurement of replacement parts for trucks and cars through assistance 

from the Office of Defense Transportation district offices. 

c. Procurement of gasoline, fuel oil, and tires for trucks, cars, trailers, 

tractors, and other farm equipment. 

d. Securing of motor transportation facilities to meet unfilled needs through 

assistance of O. D. T. 

3. State Agricultural Extension Services as members of State 
War Boards will assume responsibility for: 

a. Furnishing timely technical information and materials on the utilization 

and conservation of farm production and transportation equipment, 
and repair, maintenance, and construction of other essential facilities 
to produce and save food and other agricultural products. 

b. Conducting visual instruction and demonstration meetings, repair clinics, 

neighborhood check-up and follow-up campaigns, and related press, 
radio, poster, tag and other campaign activities to reach all food 
producers. 

c. Cooperating with organizations offering to coordinate their educational 

programs with that of the War Food Administration through advice 
and assistance beneficial to farmers and other producers and handlers 
of food. 

4. The Agricultural Education Service of the U. S. Office of 
Education, Federal Security Agency, will: 

a. In cooperation with State Boards for Vocational Education conduct 
courses in the repair, operation, and construction of farm machinery 
and equipment. (The State Boards for Vocational Education con¬ 
duct these training programs through local boards of education, 
utilizing personnel and facilities of the local public schools. Farmers 
enroll in these training programs for the purpose of developing 
skills in the repair, operation, and construction of their own farm 
machinery, equipment, and buildings.) 


5 


b. Administer funds allotted to the several State Boards for Voca¬ 
tional Education which may be used for cost of instruction in the 
repair, operation and construction of farm machinery and equipment. 
(The funds made available may be expended for the cost of instruc¬ 
tion and supervision, for the pui’chase and rental of equipment, and 
for rental of space. These funds provide for a continuation of the 
program operated last year by State Boards for Vocational Educa¬ 
tion in which 20,500 training programs in the l'epair, operation, and 
construction of farm equipment were approved with 220,710 indi¬ 
viduals enrolled in the courses.) 

5. The Office of Defense Transportation, in its connection with 
farm truck transportation, will assist: 

a. In maintaining as far as possible the orderly and continuous move¬ 

ment by motor truck of farm products from, and of farm supplies to 
the farm through: 

(1) A national program directed toward conservation and utilization of 

the 1,100,000 farm trucks owned by farmers. (This is basically a 
“good neighbor” program in which the County Farm Transportation 
Committees of the County Agricultural War Boards cooperate with 
O. D. T.) 

(2) An industry transportation plan in which the half million for-hire 

trucks serving agriculture are efficiently mobilized through industry 
transportation committees. (The committees are composed of pro¬ 
ducers, haulers, and receivers, and recommend adjustments in routes 
and areas served by agricuitural haulers to insure markets for 
producers and volume for i*eceivers with the most efficient use of 
transportation.) 

(3) Every possible assistance will be rendered toward providing trans¬ 

portation in any area where local facilities are insufficient, especially 
to meet peak movements of perishable crops, livestock, and live¬ 
stock products. 

b. In the maintenance of farm vehicles through : 

(1) Assistance in locating needed replacement parts. 

(2) Training of maintenance personnel. 

(3) Industry clinics for dissemination of new techniques. 

(4) Assistance in preparation and distribution of educational materials. 

(5) Compilation of a list of available shop and maintenance facilities. 

(6) Carrying on the activities of the U. S. Truck Conservation Corps. 

This work is carried on through 142 maintenance specialists in the 
O. D. T. district offices throughout the country assisted by automotive 
maintenance advisory committees in more than 300 communities. 
Through these agencies, all truck owners have the service of trained 
people in all branches of the automotive industries. To bring their 
work close to the farmer, the County Farm Transportation Commit¬ 
tees will be asked by O. D. T. to appoint a maintenance subcommittee 
in each county, which in turn will be invited to join with neighboring 
counties in naming a farm vehicle representative on the O. D. T. 
district maintenance committee. 


6 


Farmers’ Function. 

Farmers on the front line of food production hold the key to achiev¬ 
ing our unprecedented 1944 production goals. They can help by: 

1. Cooperating in sharing pools affecting machinery, tools, ve¬ 

hicles, and other production equipment. 

2. Individual sharing of equipment with their neighbors. 

3. Checking their equipment and ordering replacement parts 

early and making timely arrangements for necessary re¬ 
pair services. 

4. Keeping equipment in constant adjustment to secure maxi¬ 

mum efficiency and minimum wear and breakage. 

5. Servicing their equipment and vehicles regularly. 

6. Maintaining their equipment in constant repair by making 

use of training offered by service and maintenance schools. 

7. Repairing, converting, and keeping in serviceable condition 

as far as possible under present conditions, all buildings 
used for housing livestock and storing crops. 

Industry’s Function. 

The direct aim of Government-industry cooperation is to tell the 
same story at the same time to assure maximum use of farm produc¬ 
tion and transportation facilities in meeting the 1944 food produc¬ 
tion goals. 

Manufacturers and dealers who supply farm production and trans¬ 
portation facilities may coordinate their current programs of main¬ 
tenance and utilization of farm facilities with the Government- 
industry program, in order that the most effective approach possible 
be made toward reaching 1944 food production goals. 

This may be accomplished by: 

1. Stressing the objectives of the over-all campaign in adver¬ 

tising and literature directed at the farmer group. 

2. Assisting educational agencies with personnel and equipment 

in holding schools and other informative activities on 
service and maintenance of farm production and trans¬ 
portation facilities. 

3. Holding such schools under their own auspices, and in joining 

forces locally, as far as possible. 

4. Stressing through and by means of field forces and in all direct 

contacts, such as house organs and special mailings, with 
the farmers, the objectives of this maintenance and utiliza¬ 
tion campaign. 

Through house organs, trade papers, and other means, industry 
can recruit its own members in the campaign. It will be essential 
that industry members be well informed on this campaign so that 
every contact with the farmer will be 100 percent efficient in pro¬ 
moting the program. 


7 


The Local Dealer’s Function. 

Implement, tire, petroleum, and farm building materials dealers, 
together with other farm supply businesses, are urged to fit into pro¬ 
motional programs of their own the objectives provided by the over¬ 
all Government-industry care, share, and service campaign. Farm 
supply businesses, since the war brought shortages to the farm front, 
have conducted extensive educational efforts to urge and to help farm¬ 
ers carry out the principles of preventive maintenance on transpor¬ 
tation, crop-production, and food-production equipment, to maintain 
and repair farm buildings, and to take other measures necessary for 
keeping agriculture’s production facilities in shape for its wartime 
job. 

The many thousands of dealers handling farm equipment, farm 
building materials, petroleum, tires, and other supplies provide direct 
farm equipment service facilities for maintaining the farmer’s pro¬ 
duction and transportation tools. Both industry and Government 
recognize the importance of the local dealer in the campaign. He is 
a local center of information about production and transportation 
supplies, and through his day-to-day contacts with farmers, can 
give vital help in meeting the objectives of the campaign. 

Copy Themes. 

The campaign to achieve utmost utilization of farm production 
and transportation equipment is part of the Food Fights For Free¬ 
dom program. Therefore, it is proposed that the same slogan and 
symbol be used in conjunction with the subslogan, “Keep Your War 
Equipment Fit and Fighting.” 

This utilization campaign, moreover, should be consistently and 
closely identified with the program of farm production goals inas¬ 
much as the whole objective of “care, share, and repair” of farm 
production and transportation equipment is to enable farmers to 
meet production goals and transport their produce to market. 

The utilization campaign has eight specific objectives which clearly 
indicate the eight copy themes to be emphasized. 

1. Establish the fact that reaching food production goals for 

1944 depends on full utilization of all available farm pro¬ 
duction and transportation equipment. 

2. Urge farmers constantly to check, repair, and adjust their 

equipment for maximum mechanical efficiency. 

3. Urge farmers to check repair needs and order replacement 

parts so that delivery and installation can be completed 
before equipment is needed for operation. (Stress im¬ 
portance of ordering only needed parts.) 

4. Urge farmers to pool their equipment. 


8 


5. Emphasize the importance of utilizing equipment at top 

efficiency on a time basis. 

6. Urge farmers to sell surplus equipment or to make it avail¬ 

able for use whenever it is needed. 

7. Bring to the attention of farmers facilities available for re¬ 

pair and maintenance of farm structures. 

8. Revitalize the idea of machinery as multiple manpower which 

now must be used more efficiently to compensate for acute 

manpower shortages caused by the war. 

Copy Slants. 

Of the innumerable copy slants which can be employed to urge 
more efficient use of farm production and transportation equipment, 
possibly the most effective are those which point up the farmer’s 
true function as a “fighter” by stressing the fact that his farm equip¬ 
ment is fighting equipment. The opportunities for making such 
comparisons are as broad as the combined range of kinds of equip¬ 
ment the farmer uses and kinds of equipment used by our armed 
forces. 

Here are only a few examples of how appeals to stimulate the care 
and use of farm equipment may be dramatized in this way. 

1. Your tractor is a Tank . . . Keep it fighting. 

2. Military Objective: 1944 production goals. 

Strategy: Maximum use of “mechanized divisions.” 

Main Attack: By existing farm machinery and production equipment. 

Is your equipment ready for the battle? 

3. The middle of the battle is no time to fix a tank . . . 

. . . and the middle of your busy season is no time to discover weak¬ 
nesses in your farm equipment. Inspect it and order replacement 
parts you may need before your busy season starts. 

4. Why you seldom see destroyers in port. 

Their job is on the high seas, convoying men and supplies, and stalking 
subs. Every hour in port is considered “wasted.” So they are 
refueled and resupplied in record time. 

The war job of your farm machinery and production equipment is to 
help meet our 1944 production goals. Every day it stands idle is 
“wasted.” We haven’t enough destroyers, and we haven’t enough 
farm equipment. Keep yours working full time. Let neighbors use 
it rather than let it “loaf.” 


9 


5. Dear Dad: 

• Please get that P-40 out of the machine shed. 

We need it. 

Idle farm equipment is like an idle fighting plane. Both must be kept 
‘working full-time to speed victory. Rent or lend your idle equipment 
to neighbors if you are not using it. Help America meet her production 
goals for 1944. 

6. How many “guns” are idle on your farm? 

Farm equipment is fighting equipment in our battle to meet production 
goals. Keep yours “firing.” 

7. Like good soldiers, good farm equipment should stand “inspection” 
frequently. 

Check yours for: , 

Lubrication 
Worn parts 
Correct adjustments 
Cleanliness 

8. The hay baler that licked a Tiger tank. 

(Dramatize outstanding examples of how farmers can pool limited 
equipment. This* is the same kind of cooperation as that used by 
our fighting men in destroying an enemy tank.) 

9. Your barn or storage house is your arsenal. 

Save crops—protect livestock—shelter supplies—by keeping it 
repaired. 




Timetable. 


APPENDIXES 


SEPTEMBER 1943 
Announcement of campaign 
OCTOBER 

Preventive maintenance 
Protection of machinery 

NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 

# 

Protection 
Inspection service 
Ordering of parts 

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 1944 


Protection 

Repairing and adjusting 

MARCH-AUGUST 1944 


Checking 

Adjusting 

Efficient use 

Safe operation 

Training machine operators 

Following are the major points to be stressed in developing timetable schedule: 

1. Servicing.—This includes inspection, adjusting, repairing and. ordering of 
spare parts. Every machine should be thoroughly inspected at least once every 
year. The best time for inspection is usually at the end of the season in which 
the machine is used. 

(a) New parts should be ordered promptly to insure delivery before the 

machine is again needed. 

(b) Machine service work, including the fitting and adjusting of intricate 

parts, should be done in service shops which have skilled workmen 
and the necessary tools. Farmers and service men both will find it 
advantageous to contract for service work when new parts are ordered, 
and with ample time allowance to ensure completion of the service 
work before the machine is needed. 

2. Maintenance.—Maintenance of machinery is necessary to assure long life 
and reliable service. Essentials of maintenance are cleaning, lubricating, check¬ 
ing, adjusting and repairing. 

(a) Most machines, particularly power equipment, require cleaning at fre¬ 
quent intervals to remove dust, grit, and grime which interfere with 
efficient operation. 


( 10 ) 


11 


'(b) Correct lubricants and adequate lubrication of all mechanical equipment 
is -invariably essential. This requires systematic lubrication at reg¬ 
ular intervals. 

(c) Frequent checking is necessary to find improper adjustments, inade¬ 

quate lubrication, and loose or damaged parts. 

(d) Rigid parts should be kept tight and moving parts should be kept in 

proper adjustment at all times. 

(e) Damaged parts should be repaired or replaced before a failure occurs 

which might cause a break-down or damage other parts. 

•(f) Special attention should be given to the cleaning, servicing, and main¬ 
tenance of special equipment such as rubber tires, batteries, carbu¬ 
retors, air cleaners, oil filters, belts, pulleys, chains, gears, and other 
exposed or fast-moving parts. 

3. Protection. —Housing is one of the principal ways of protecting machinery, 
Ibut additional precautions should be taken. Machines must be protected not 
only from sun and rain, but also from dust, debris, floods, rust, corrosion, con¬ 
densation, freezing, insects, rodents, poultry, vandals, and livestock. 

4. Efficient Use.—To meet 1944 production goals all machinery and equipment 
must be “kept rolling” so that no farm production is left unharvested after it is 
planted and cultivated. This means maximum use at maximum speed in minimum 
time. This presupposes complete adherence to principles of care, share, and 
repair activities. 

5. Safe Operation. —This calls for skillful use of all machinery and equipment 
to accomplish the maximum amount of work in a timely and effective manner 
without damage to crops, machines, or operators. 

6. Farm Buildings. —Because of variations in seasons and need, no formal 
timetable is suggested on farm building repair and maintenance. Buildings 
and fences should be repaired as needed, but special repair and re-conditioning 
necessary to give winter protection to crops and livestock should be d®ne in the 
fall. Labor-saving conveniences can be built, and such existing facilities check¬ 
ed and repaired during the late fall and winter months. Maintenance of build¬ 
ings—such as checking foundations; leak-proofing roofs; rodent and weevil con¬ 
trol ; protection from fire, wind, and lightning; and painting—is a year-round 
activity. Plans for essential new construction that can be provided should be 
made well in advance of need, and actual construction made when labor is 
available on the farm, as in slack seasons. 

Details of the Government Program. 

The Government has numerous programs in effect to help farmers obtain es¬ 
sential supplies for food production. Specifically, in the War Food Administra¬ 
tion, the Office of Materials and Facilities has the responsibility for carrying out 
all programs dealing with supplies, machinery, and equipment needed for 
producing food on the farm, transporting it to market, storing it on the farm, 
and for processing it after it leaves the farm. This includes not only farm 
machinery, but also equipment needed by food processors, such as canneries and 
dehydrating plants, canning supplies, gasoline and other fuel, fertilizer, lumber, 
nails, other hardware, and many other items. 

Outlined below are specific programs on principal farm supply items, with 
explanation principally on the procedure set-up to help the farmer obtain them: 

Farm machinery and equipment. —The War Food Administration and the War 
Production Board are cooperatively expending every effort for the rapid pro¬ 
duction of new farm machinery. Production of new machinery during the cur¬ 
rent production year—which began July 1, 1943—is authorized at an average 


12 


of 80 percent of 1940 output. There are no quota restrictions on the production 
of replacement parts. This program was provided after a thorough study 
by the War Food Administration of Agriculture’s need to produce food in 1944 
at record levels, and for labor-saving machinery. 

The program provides for these groups of machinery: 

Planting, seeding, and fertilizing machinery. 

Plows and listers. 

Harrows, rollers, pulverizers, and stalk cutters. 

Cultivators and weeders. 

Sprayers, dusters, and orchard heaters. 

Harvesting machinery. 

Haying machinery. 

Machines for preparing crops for market or use (Examples: Peanut pick¬ 
ers, silo fillers, feed grinders, and feed crushers). 

Farm elevators and blowers. 

Tractors. 

Farm wagons, gears, and trucks (not motor). 

Domestic water systems. 

Farm pumps and windmills. 

Irrigation equipment. 

Dairy farm machines and equipment. 

Barn and barnyard equipment (Examples: Feed carriers, cattle stanchions, 
livestock drinking cups, stock tanks). 

Farm poultry equipment. 

Miscellaneous equipment (Examples: Beekeeper supplies, horseshoes, 
power shearing machines, wind-driven farm electric plants). 

How the farmer gets machinery. —Some of the kinds of machinery listed are 
rationed. When a farmer wants a rationed item, he applies to the County Farm 
Rationing Committee of the County Agricultural War Board. If he meets the 
standards set up for release of machinery, the rationing committee will issue him 
a purchase certificate, which he takes to his local dealer to make his purchase. 
Machinery is rationed with the basic idea that it be placed with farmers who 
need it the most and who can make the most of it in producing food. The farmer 
needs no priority to obtain machinery. For unrationed items, the farmer makes 
liis purchase as usual. 

Replacement parts. —There are no quota restrictions on the manufacture of 
replacement parts during the present manufacturing year. Neither are replace¬ 
ment parts rationed, and the farmer need make no application to obtain them. 
The only caution regarding these important farm supply items is that farmers 
check their machinery and place orders for needed parts as early as possible. 
Farmers should be cautioned against overpurchase of parts. 

Small engines. —About 37,000 air- and liquid-cooled internal combustion engines 
of 20 horsepower and under will be provided for farmers during the 1943-44 
machinery production year. Distribution control is at the county level, where 
the County Farm Rationing Committee will issue preference rating certificates 
to farmers for engines needed for essential food production. The certificates 
will bear a preference rating of AA-2, the highest given a civilian product. 
When a farmer receives such a preference rating certificate, he takes it to a 
local dealer to make his purchase. 

Electrical equipment. —A good many electrically operated items of farm equip¬ 
ment are provided under the farm machinery and equipment production order— 
WPB Order L-257. These include such equipment as milking machines, cream 
separators, incubators, jelectric floor brooders, electric fence controllers, electric 
fence accessories, and wind-driven farm electric plants. 


13 


Copper wire for farmstead wiring is provided under the WPB controlled 
materials plan. Its distribution is handled under a special program being carried 
out through the County War Boards. This applies to both new and old users of 
electricity. 

Farmers may obtain a power line hook-up necessary for essential food produc¬ 
tion purposes by obtaining from the County War Board a certification that his 
farm meets certain production standards set-up under provisions of WPB Order 
U-l-c. In general, this order provides that to qualify for an electrical extension, 
the farm must have a minimum number of animal units. 

When a farmer receives approval for a hook-up, or qualifies for an extension 
of electrical service when he already has it on his farm, he may obtain the 
necessary copper wire for approved uses by applying to his County War Board. 
If he meets the standards for essential permitted uses, the Board will give him 
a Copper Wire Allotment Certificate. The farmer then presents this certificate 
to his local dealer to* purchase the wire. Under this program, new users of 
electricity may obtain up to 75 pounds of copper wire for any one farm, and 
old users may obtain up to 50 pounds. 

In addition to this, a farmer may obtain under WPB priorities regulation No. 
19 small amounts of copper wire (up to 75 feet) and certain types of equipment 
by certifying that he is a farmer and needs the equipment for the operation of 
a farm. Besides the wii’e, this regulation covers electric motors under 1 horse¬ 
power, motor starters under 1 horsepower, brushes for motor repair, safety 
switches, and certain kinds of wiring materials and fixtures. 

Larger electric motors. —For electric motors of 1 horsepower and over, a farmer 
must file a priority application. This is WPB-541 (formerly PD-la), which can 
be obtained from the County War Board. 

Miscellaneous farm tools. —In addition to the small electrical equipment men¬ 
tioned above, other types of materials and tools are available to farmers under 
a program put into effect by the War Production Board through Priorities Regu¬ 
lation No. 19 and General Preference Order No. 330. 

The priorities regulation sets up a simple procedure for farmers to follow in 
buying what they need in more than 144 different lines of small supplies and 
enables farm supply dealers to replenish their stocks of this equipment. 

The general preference order directs manufacturers or distributors to produce 
or set aside for sale to farmers specified quantities of G6 most urgently needed 
items. 

To buy up to $25 worth of this equipment all a farmer need do is furnish 
his dealer with this statement: “I certify to the War Production Board that I 
am a farmer and that supplies covered by this order are needed now and will 
be used for the operation of a farm.” Purchase of any item at one time which 
costs more than $25 must be approved by the County Farm Rationing Committee 
of the County War Board. When the farmer obtains such approval, the rationing 
committee will endorse his certificate, which the farmer takes to his dealer. 

This special program covers a wide range of small farm supply items. 
Examples are: Auger bits, batteries, chains, cold chisels, forks, small tools lik*e 
pliers and wrenches, grease guns, nails, fractional horsepower motors, wire, 
rope, shovels, axes, bolts and nuts, hand sprayers, drills, corrugated roofing, 
welding rods and electrodes, knives, etc. 

Plumbing and heating equipment. —The Government program makes provi¬ 
sion for obtaining plumbing and heating equipment for essential purposes needed 
on farms—both for dwellings, barns, and other buildings. 

Where the installation of plumbing and heating equipment does not cost more 
than $200, the farmer applies for such equipment on form WPB-2631 (formerly 


14 


PD-851), which can be obtained from the County War Board. The farmer 
applicant sends this form, when filled out, direct to the nearest WPB district 
office, where it is given final consideration. If he wishes, the farmer may obtain 
County War Board recommendation which usually facilitates action on his 
application. 

When plumbing and heating installations will cost more than $200, not in¬ 
cluding the cost of equipment and materials applied for, the farmer fills out 
WPB form 2570 (formerly PD-200c) which he obtains from the County War' 
Board. Both the County War Board and the State War Board must approve 
such an application before it is sent to the WPB regional office for final consid¬ 
eration. 

Farm, Construction. —All farm construction is governed by the provisions of 
WPB conservation order L—11, which in general limits new construction to only 
the most essential projects. 

Under the terms of this order, new farm construction projects costing less 
than $1,000 for any one year, and farm dwelling construction not in excess of 
$200 a year, may be constructed without WPB approval. On construction under 
these limits, the farmer may proceed as he always has, except that he may seek 
priority assistance if he has difficulty in locating materials—lumber, brick, 
hardware, and other items. 

When a farmer wishes to provide essential construction costing more than 
$1,000 a year, he must have the approval of the War Production Board. To 
obtain this, he applies to his County War Board for permission to begin construc¬ 
tion, and the necessary priority assistance in obtaining his materials. The War 
Board has the necessary forms and will give the farmer assistance in obtaining 
approval. The War Boards must approve all on-farm construction before the 
farmer’s application is sent on to the proper WPB office for final approval. 

Since lumber for new farm construction is necessarily limited, repair and 
maintenance of existing structures becomes all the more important. There are 
no restrictions on the use of materials for repair and maintenance of farm 
buildings. . 

Trucks and Automobiles .—A farmer is an essential user and will be given 
rationing preference on vehicles needed for essential farm work. For a truck, 
the farmer applies to the Transportation Committee of his County Agricultural 
War Board. For a passenger car, he applies to his local War Price and Ration¬ 
ing Board. 

Tires. —Farming equipment and cars are eligible for tires that are needed for 
food production and other essential farm purposes. Applications for tires are 
made to the local War Price and Rationing Board, except for tires to convert 
tractors and other equipment from steel to rubber, when the farmer applies to 
the County Farm Transportation Committee. 

Gasoline. —Gasoline for essential farm uses has been given preference over all 
other civilian uses—ranking with military requirements. For gasoline needed 
in nonhighway uses, the farmer applies to the War Price and Rationing Board, 
tvhicli sends the application to the County Farm Transportation Committee for 
recommendation. Gasoline for trucks is issued on Certificates of War Neces¬ 
sity, and the farmer files such application with the County Farm Transporta¬ 
tion Committee. Passenger car gasoline is obtained on rations applied for at 
the War Price and Rationing Board. 

Kerosene and Fuel Oil.—- Farmers are given preference for kerosene and fuel 
oil to be used for farm work. Application for kerosene and oil is made at the 
local War Price and Rationing Board. If the Board wishes, it may ask the 
County War Board for recommendations on such fuel applications. 


15 


What the Farmer Is Doing to Help Himself. 

While prospects for new machinery and repair parts are brighter for 1944„ 
there still is paramount need for Nation-wide care and sharing of machinery 
and parts now in the hands of our American farmers. We are still faced with 
the major problem of keeping machinery and production equipment in repair 
and general repair activities going at full blast. Farmers realize that proper 
care of machinery and equipment will do much to prevent the need for repairs, 
and that this will be another step forward in the production fight. 

The following examples are given as an indication of what action farmers 
are taking to utilize fully present machinery and equipment: 

In the Redland community of Nevada County, Arkansas, a farmer solved a 
farm machinery problem by using scrap iron and other materials to rebuild 
a cultivator and construct a wagon. A broken-down, one-row walking culti¬ 
vator that was ready to be discarded for scrap valued at $10 was repaired from 
scrap material found on the farm, and put into operation. The axles were 
built up by having the bearings r^babbitted. The foot lifts were welded and 
the holes redrilled. U-bolts were made out of scrap iron and a new tongue and 
handles installed. No new repair parts were used in rebuilding the cultivator, 
which is now valued at $50. In addition to the cultivator, a home-made farm 
wagon valued at $150 was made for a cash outlay of $12. The farmer paid $2 
for scrap iron, $5 for bolts and nuts, and $5 for two wheels. Timber cut from 
the farm and made into lumber in his own sawmill was used for all woodwork. 
The two farm implements were rebuilt during spare time in the winter months 
and resulted in the saving of over $200 to the farm . . . and most important 
of all put more usable fawn equipment into the food production fight. 

In Illinois, three farmers devised a method of speeding up operations which 
had been delayed by weather conditions. A four-row corn planter, available 
on one of the farms, was kept in constant use to plant a total of 200 acres 
of corn on the three farms instead of only 83 acres on the home farm. Three 
tractors from the other two farms made it possible to tandem-disk the soil 
twice, harrow the seedbed, and keep the planter operating. Last year it was 
found in the cooperative use of the planter on two of these farms that one 
tractor was not enough to keep the soil prepared ahead of the planter. The 
third farm made two more tractors available, and the three had to operate 
only about 10 hours a day to keep the soil prepared. In addition to this work, 
70 acres of soil for soybeans were tandem-disked during a period of 6 days. 
Two tractors operated on all 6 days and the other two were used only 4 days 
for a total of 190 hours required to complete this work. 

Reports reaching the office of the Kansas State Agricultural War Board 
indicate that considerable progress is being made in working out practical 
schedules for pooling farm machinery. In some counties machinery pools are 
in operation, while in others the local Agricultural War Board is acting as a 
clearing house for custom work. The board furnishes all farmers in the county 
with a list of persons who are willing to do custom work with their equipment 
during this emergency. 

Reno County reports an unusual plan. 

There was but one pick-up hay baler allotted to Reno County. The problem 
facing the farm machinery rationing committee was to place the baler in the 
hands of someone who would keep it fully employed throughout the haying 
season. This was no small job, for there were many applications for the baler. 

The application finally accepted by the rationing committee was filed by 
five men who acted together and formed a company. These farmers, all stock- 
men, had 300 acres of their own alfalfa to bale. However, in addition to baling 



library of congress 


16 


their own hay, this machine was put to euston ■■ ... . 

committee that this would be done, the newly 1 0 000 938 

whose job it was to keep the baler busy until every acre of hay in Reno county 
had been baled. 

In Kansas also, two farmers worked out an exchange that saved not only 
machinery but also considerable time and labor. One farmer owned a field 
hay baler and baled all of the other farmer’s hay while his neighbor did all 
the listing and cultivating of corn on the former’s farm. This arrangement 
saved one farmer the necessity of owning or hiring a hay baler and the other 
from owning a lister and cultivator. 

Note. —The examples mentioned apply principally to repair and maintenance 
practices on farm machinery. Farmers have been equally active in carrying 
out measures to conserve trucks and other vehicles through pooling, and repair 
and maintenance practices. Similarly, they have done much on their farms to 
fit their buildings into the wartime food production picture, such as repairing 
and converting existing buildings into shelter to care for increased livestock 
and poultry production, and for storing crops. 


U. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: I9«S 






































